Vanderpump Rules

10 Things You Might Not Know About Lisa Vanderpump

Lisa Vanderpump is the queen of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, having won fans over with her candour and self-deprecating humour. Lisa isn't the type to keep a secret, but here are some things you may not know about Beverly Hills' English rose ...

1. Lisa is the eldest of the Housewives. In saying that, she's not exactly old. Born in 1960, Lisa will celebrate her 57th birthday in September.

2. She began her career as an actress. At the age of thirteen, she played Julia Allessio in the 1973 Glenda Jackson film, A Touch of Class. Lisa also starred alongside David Hasselhoff in Baywatch Nights in 1995.

3. Lisa has been married to Ken Todd for over thirty years, but in the beginning their romance was something of a whirlwind. In fact, Lisa and Ken only knew each other for six weeks before walking down the aisle in 1982. They renewed their vows on the season three finale of Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.

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4. She is the highest paid of all the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. All Things Real Housewives reports that Vanderpump raked in $350,000 for the fourth season, which is double Brandi Glanville's $175,000 salary.

5. Lisa's Housewives fee is pocket change, however, if you consider how much Mrs Vanderpump is worth. CelebrityNetWorth estimates Lisa's fortune at $65 million, with her money mostly coming from the restaurants she owns and operates with Ken.

6. As well as appearing on Housewives, Lisa has her own spin-off - Vanderpump Rules. On top of starring in both series, Lisa is an executive producer of Vanderpump Rules. This means she has control over casting decisions, filming locations, as well as sharing hosting duties with Andy Cohen at the reunions.

7. All Beverly Hills fans will be familiar with one of Lisa's furry friends - Pomeranian Gigolo 'Giggy' Vanderpump. However, Lisa has three other pet pooches; including a Golden Retriever named Rumpy Pumpy, as well as another Pomeranian - who just happens to be Giggy's father.

8. Lisa and Ken moved back to Europe from California in the mid-1990s when their children - Pandora and Max - were young. Lisa states that the move was triggered by a combination of the 1994 Northridge Earthquake, as well as a desire to keep the children away from what Vanderpump describes as "Hollywood b-s."

9. Ken and Lisa adopted their son Max when he was six months old, having previously been cared for by a foster family. Lisa has spoken candidly about the possibility of Max's biological parents surfacing now that he is part of a famous family. "We're in a public arena, and they might recognise us," Vanderpump has said.

10. Where does the name Vanderpump come from? Apparently it's Dutch. In a 2002 interview, Lisa commented on her unusual surname: 'I'm not sure if the name has been a help or a hindrance, professionally, but I supposed that once you've heard it, you remember it."